My flight from Auckland to Sydney was delayed by three hours, so i arrived at 17.30 after a 3.5 hr journey. I was expecting slow progress through the customs but it was very easy and i breezed through without questions being asked and without the searches i had been told would happen. The airport is well organized and has a direct train link with the city center. I paid a few bucks for a train to the backpacker center of kings x. Checking into the first hostel i found there which was directly next to the entrance to the station. I was given a bed in a six bed dorm but was the only one in there at that time. I wanted to see the famous sights that i had seen on tv so many time straight away, so headed for the harbor. This walk took about 30 minuets which passed through the city center and the scrapers which included the Sydney sky tower. The Sydney harbor bridge was my first sight as i came clear of the city, then i below it i could see the opera house. It was becoming dark now so the harbor are was beginning to light up and this made there area look fantastic. There are more than one harbor here there is also one called darling harbor. It is a short walk through an area called the rocks, which has cobbled streets with small shops and restaurants. I walked down a street that reminded me of home as it was called Kent street. This followed the coast for about half a mile then dropped down into Darling harbor. This area is full of bars lining the promenade, many people who finish work in the city head down here for the night, but there are also a lot of couples just sat watching the city light up. There is also water taxi's that are painted the same colors of black and yellow which the street cabs are. I sat here had a noddle diner and a couple of beers to soak up the Australian laid back way.

The next day i walked back down to the harbour, this time through one of the many parks of Sydney. It was lunch time and i thought there was a marathon on, as there was hundreds of people running along the roads through the park,proving to me that Australian love the outdoors. When i got back down into the harbor i caught the harbor ferry for a 1hr long trip around different city areas. I got off at manly to check out the famous surf spot.

That night i returned to the hostel and met an Italian guy who was now staying in my dorm, we had a few beers together then decided to go out to a local bar, and was joined by a French guy who was also staying in the hostel. This ended up being a late night and we got back at 06.00 with sore heads. Still suffering when i woke up all i could do was take a short walk to get dinner in a local noddle bar and that was all i planned on doing, except we ended up going back out again that night and it was another late one, visiting the bars around king x. I had to check out at 10.00 in the morning and headed over to Bondi, this involved a short train ride to Bondi junction and from here a 10 minuet bus trip to the beach area. I was very surprised hen i see the beach as it was much smaller than i imagined it would be. Also the shops that front the beach were much the same as those i see all the time back in many seaside towns back home. There were fish and chip shops, tea houses and some selling beach tack (bucket and spade). My hostel here was just footsteps from the sand. It was a large place with a lounge area, small bar, kitchen and a roof terrace. But the atmosphere was very dull and sterile. Bondi is a great place though to just sit on the beach and watch the surf, or to walk along the coastal paths that lead to other coves like Bronte.

I spent just two days here then caught a train to a town two hours north of Sydney called Newcastle. The train journey went through rain forests and past vast lakes with mansions built on the banks.

The hostel in Newcastle was once an gentleman'sclub, and it had that kind of grand feel about it. With giant open fires, high celling, and floors were all deep red wood. The town itself is very quiet and it being a Sunday when i arrived felt like a ghost town. But the change of pace was nice after staying in the city.

There was a nature reserve there just a short bus ride out of town, the reserve has many of the indigenousanimals of Australia, like Kangaroo, koala, wombats and possums. The y are all kept in enclose'rs but it was my first sight of all of these so it was well worth the visit. Plus it was free.

After Newcastle i headed further north up the east coast to a tiny farming town called Bellingen. The hostel here was set on a riverbank and had views of the mountains from its balcony's that wrapped around the whole building. There was a great relaxing feeling about the place and there was a good mixed crowed staying there, some had been there for months because they were so relaxed and chilled out there they did not want to leave.

On the river there is rope swings and also the hostel supplied free of charge rubber wings that you use to float down stream over small rapids, a great way to spend a couple of hours.

I stayed here for three nights and two days, before moving on again to Coffs Harbour